Sell Mercury Dimes in Los Angeles for Cash Today
Sell Mercury dimes, and the silver Roosevelt dimes most jars leave behind, at a Lawndale coin counter buying across Los Angeles since 1980. Bring one coin or a full jar, watch every date checked, and leave paid the same visit.
Where to Sell Mercury Dimes in Los Angeles
People sell Mercury dimes to us the way they found them. In a coffee can, a cigar box, a bank envelope with a date on it in someone else's handwriting. South Bay Coin has been a licensed, bonded, and insured precious metals dealer in Lawndale since 1980, and a jar of old dimes is an ordinary morning here.
That matters because a jar of dimes is the kind of lot that gets handled badly elsewhere. It is heavy, it is slow to count, and it usually contains three or four different things at once. A buyer in a hurry pools all of it together and prices the whole jar as one anonymous weight. We separate first and count second, in front of you, at the counter, so you can see what is being pulled out and why.
We are a coin store with a resale platform, not a melt-only buyer, which is why the separating is worth doing at all. A dime that beats its silver goes into our cases rather than into a refining lot, and it is priced that way. Whether you arrive with a handful of gold and silver coins or a jar carried in from Torrance, Hawthorne or Redondo Beach, the evaluation is free and yours to walk away from.
Mercury Dime Buyers Near Me in Lawndale
South Bay Coin
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What Years Are Dimes Silver? Mercury and Roosevelt Dimes
Mercury dimes were struck from 1916 through 1945, and almost everyone who brings a jar in has already sorted it by that picture, pulling the winged heads out and leaving the rest behind. It is the wrong line to sort on.
The silver in a US dime did not end in 1945. It ended after 1964. The Roosevelt dimes struck from 1946 through 1964 are the same 90 percent silver alloy, the same weight, and the same standard as the Mercury dimes that came before them. What changed in 1946 was the design, not the metal. So the winged head tells you which sculptor was working; the four digits under the chin tell you what the coin is made of. Read the date, not the portrait. Every dime dated 1964 or earlier is silver, and we watch people spend or roll away silver Roosevelt dimes every year because the head on them looked modern.
The honest other half: the design is not worthless. Sorted Mercury dimes do trade at a small premium over sorted silver Roosevelts, because collectors prefer them. That premium attaches to an identified group rather than to a mixed jar, which is one more reason to separate rather than pool. Anything dated 1965 or later is copper-nickel clad with no silver in it, and the giveaway is the edge: a clad dime shows a copper stripe around the rim.
Mercury Dime Mintmarks and the 1916-D Mercury Dime
Mercury dimes came from three mints: Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. Philadelphia struck no mintmark at all, so most of any jar is unmarked by design. The D and S sit on the reverse, at the bottom just left of the fasces, between the word ONE and the base of the olive branch. Sellers who check the portrait side, find nothing and conclude they have none are looking at the wrong face of the coin.
That single letter carries more weight than any other detail in the series, and it is the reason we look closely rather than quickly. The 1916-D Mercury dime is the key to the whole run, and because a common 1916 Philadelphia dime looks identical apart from a missing letter, a D gets added to one. NGC ranks it the second most commonly counterfeited United States coin. The most valuable coin in the series is also the most altered one.
We say that out loud because sellers assume a close look means suspicion of them. It is the opposite. Almost every altered dime we see was bought in good faith decades ago by someone no longer here to ask, and knowing beforehand beats finding out later. The review happens in front of you, not in a back room, the same way we handle silver coins and bullion across the whole counter.
Worn and No Date Mercury Dimes Are Still Silver
The dime is the smallest coin the United States struck for circulation in silver, and the date sits in the lowest relief on it. After enough decades in tills and pockets, a good share of any jar comes out smooth: the portrait is readable, the four digits are not. Sellers treat those no date Mercury dimes as the throwaways. They are not.
This is the one place where the picture is the test. The Mercury series ran only from 1916 to 1945 and every single coin in it is silver, so a winged head with no legible date has already told you what it is made of. The design does the work the date cannot. Roosevelt dimes do not have that luxury, since the same portrait ran from 1946 to today, which is where the edge of the coin settles the question instead.
Wear is expected rather than argued about. A thin, smooth dime carries slightly less metal than a sharp one, which is normal in coins that spent forty years being spent. Nothing is set aside as worthless without you being shown why, and the same visit can cover the rest of the household silver, from sterling silver flatware to bars and rounds.
Mercury Dimes and Silver Dimes We Buy for Cash
We buy silver dimes in any quantity and any condition, from a single coin in a flip to a jar that takes two hands. Bring them exactly as you found them.
Sell Mercury Dimes, 1916 to 1945
Every date and mint, worn or sharp, singles through full rolls. Denver and San Francisco issues checked individually.
Sell Silver Roosevelt Dimes, 1946 to 1964
The same silver alloy as a Mercury dime and the coin most often left behind by mistake. We buy them all day.
Sell Barber and Seated Liberty Dimes
Barber dimes through 1916 and the Seated Liberty dimes before them, including low grade coins other buyers pool.
Sell Jars of Mixed Silver Change
Dimes mixed with silver quarters, halves and clad. We sort it out at the counter and tell you what is what.
How to Sell Mercury Dimes in Lawndale in Three Steps
Bring Your Mercury Dimes to Lawndale
Walk into 16916 Hawthorne Blvd in Lawndale with the jar, roll or envelope exactly as you found it. No appointment needed and nothing to sort first.
Get a Free Silver Dime Count
We separate silver from clad, pull out anything that beats its metal, and count the rest in front of you. Free and unhurried.
Get Paid for Your Silver Dimes
You get an itemized offer and can accept part of it, all of it, or none. Accept and you are paid the same visit. Bring photo ID.
Mercury Dime Buyer vs Pawn Shops vs Banks
A jar of dimes has more destinations than most items, and one of them quietly pays the ten cents stamped on the coin. Here is how a walk-in visit to our Lawndale counter compares, including the two rows that go against us.
| Feature | South Bay Coin | Pawn Shops | Mail-In Bullion Buyers | Banks & Coin Counters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Separates silver dates from clad | Yes | Sometimes | Varies | No |
| Pays more than the stamped denomination | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Counts the coins in front of you | Yes | Sometimes | No | Machine only |
| Pulls better dates out instead of pooling them | Yes | Rarely | Rarely | No |
| Checks a claimed key date before pricing it | Yes | Rarely | Varies | No |
| Buys any quantity, one dime to a full jar | Yes | Varies | Minimums apply | Not applicable |
| Coins never leave your sight | Yes | Sometimes | No | No |
| Licensed California dealer | Yes | Varies | Varies | Not applicable |
| Posts a standing buy rate online | No | No | Yes | Not applicable |
| Takes the clad dimes off your hands too | No | No | No | Yes |
Lawndale Coin Buyer Reviews From the South Bay
Questions About Selling Mercury Dimes in Los Angeles
Where can I sell Mercury dimes in Los Angeles?
You can sell Mercury dimes at South Bay Coin, 16916 Hawthorne Blvd in Lawndale, over the counter with no appointment needed. We are open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM and Saturday from 10 AM to 3 PM. Bring one coin or a full jar and the evaluation is free.
How much is a Mercury dime worth?
Most circulated Mercury dimes are worth their silver, and the silver market moves every day, so we quote on the day you visit rather than from a printed chart. Sorted Mercury dimes carry a small premium over other silver dimes, and sharp coins or scarcer dates and mintmarks can be worth more as coins.
Are all Mercury dimes made of silver?
Yes. Every Mercury dime struck between 1916 and 1945 is 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper, with no exceptions across the whole run. The wartime alloy change people remember applies to the five cent piece, not the dime. A worn Mercury dime still contains its silver.
Are Roosevelt dimes silver?
Roosevelt dimes dated 1964 and earlier are the same silver alloy as Mercury dimes. The design changed in 1946 but the metal did not change until 1965. This is the single most common sorting mistake we see, and it means real silver gets spent or rolled away by accident.
How can I tell if a dime is silver?
Read the date first, since 1964 is the dividing line. Then look at the edge of the coin. A dime dated 1965 or later is copper-nickel clad and shows a copper stripe running around the rim. A silver dime shows an even white edge with no stripe.
Where is the mintmark on a Mercury dime?
On the reverse, not the portrait side. Turn the coin over and look at the bottom, just left of the fasces, between the word ONE and the base of the olive branch. A D means Denver and an S means San Francisco. No letter at all means Philadelphia, which struck the majority of the series.
How can I tell if a 1916-D Mercury dime is real?
Start with the letter. The 1916 Denver dime is the key to the series, and the grading services rank it among the most counterfeited coins, usually made by adding a D to a common Philadelphia dime. The letter's shape, position and surrounding surface tell the story, and we examine all three in front of you.
Should I clean my Mercury dimes before selling?
No. Leave them alone entirely. What helps far more is how they are stored on the way here: loose in a bag they rub against each other, and a hot garage or a damp shed works on silver over the years. A shoebox or the original jar is fine.
Is a Mercury dime with no date worth anything?
Yes. Every Mercury dime is silver, so a winged head with a worn away date still carries its metal, and heavy wear is normal on coins that circulated for decades. Bent, holed or damaged dimes are looked at separately rather than turned away. Bring them in with everything else and we will show you which is which.
Do I need an appointment to sell Mercury dimes?
No. You can sell Mercury dimes at our walk-in counter serving Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hawthorne, Gardena and the wider South Bay, with no appointment and no minimum quantity. For a very large accumulation, a quick call to (310) 363-7808 lets us set aside counting time for you.
Ready to Sell Your Mercury Dimes in Los Angeles?
Walk into our Lawndale counter with the jar as you found it, or text us a photo first. Free counting, free evaluation, payment the same visit.
